‘The Unsinkable Molly Brown’

In Candlelight Dinner Playhouse’s “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” Mary McGroary, as Molly, is not only unsinkable, she is continually undaunted. Nothing can put a dent in her irresistible charm and enthusiasm.

McGroary holds court on the Johnstown theater’s stage this winter as the uneducated Missourian who refuses to let the world’s problems stop her. She claims early in the show that she “ain’t down yet,” then faces every challenge head on — and succeeds.

“Unsinkable” is based on the life of Margaret (“Molly”) Tobin. When we meet her, she is wrestling with her older brothers as they leave the home to look for better opportunities. McGroary has enormous enthusiasm as Molly. Molly tells her father that she, too, is leaving home — and heads out on her own to find a better place in the world.

The original musical opened on Broadway in 1960, and was an instant hit, running at New York’s Winter Garden Theatre for 532 performances. Music and lyrics are by Meredith Wilson, who penned “Molly” just three years after his enormously popular “The Music Man.”

Tammy Grimes received Broadway’s Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical for her performance as Molly Brown. She stormed the stage with her robust presence, husky voice and beguiling charm. Mary McGroary makes her own mark on the challenging role. She can sing. She can dance. She can be funny, and she realistically captures the heart of Leadville’s “Johnny” Brown, the man who talks her into becoming his wife. David Ambroson is very good as Johnny. He has a warm singing voice and is a great sparring partner to face the headstrong Molly.

He has his own charm, and steals the audience’s affection with his first song, “Colorado, My Home.” This song is a winner. It was not part of the original stage production but turned up in the movie, sung by Harve Presnell. Presnell was the original Johnny Brown on stage and re-created his role for the 1964 movie, with Debbie Reynolds playing Molly.

“The Unsinkable Molly Brown” is considered to be one of Broadway’s musical classics. It has a special appeal to Colorado — it’s a look at the love Coloradans have for our mountains, the foibles of Denver society and the rags-to-riches tale of mining success. Much of the musical revolves around the unwillingness of Denver’s society to accept the nouveau-riche Molly Brown among their snobbish group — refusing to acknowledge the fact that many of the now-wealthy Denver socialites had arrived on the scene only a generation or two earlier, with minimal education or social skills.

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Molly takes them to task, while Johnny is more at home in his Leadville mountains, far from the snobs who reject his wife.

The music is terrific, with songs “I Ain’t Down Yet,” “Belly Up to the Bar, Boys,” “I’ll Never Say No,” “My Own Brass Bed,” “Beautiful People of Denver.” Among the show’s most tender moments comes midway through the Second Act when Molly and Johnny express their love, after facing substantial challenges, as Johnny uses his pet name for his wife, “Chick-a-Pen.”

Brian Burron’s direction is excellent, as is Michelle Sergeeff’s choreography. The costumes are outstanding, as provided by Judy Ernst and Bren. Eyestone Burron. Hair and wigs also are excellent — even the intentionally phony beards worn with great elan by supporting players. The set, sound and lighting are effective.

Many of the production’s greatest moments arrive early in the show, with a slowdown midway when composer Wilson appeared to run out of melodies, and too much time spent with Molly trying to find a safe place for the cash her husband earned from selling his first mine. Everything moves back into gear near the show’s conclusion when Joel Sutliff, as the European Prince DeLong, wows the audience with his impressive voice, singing “Dolce Far Niente” — expressing his love for the American Molly Brown. Sutliff is very good in every role we’ve seen him portray and is particularly excellent as the prince.

The cast is large, with several persons playing a variety of supporting roles. They are universally very good, with special kudos going to Sutliff, as well as to Patrick Sawyer as Molly’s father, Jerry Wood as Christmas Morgan, and Kent Sugg as Monsignor Ryan.

Nothing can sink Molly Brown’s ship. After all, she is headstrong and knows that she is “unsinkable.”